Clinical Hypnotherapy
A Physician's Approach
I blend clinical hypnotherapy and cognitive-behavioral expertise with 30+ years of medical training to support meaningful change—honoring both the science and complexity of what you're experiencing. My medical background means I understand when symptoms need medical evaluation, how to work collaboratively with your other physicians, and how psychological factors affect physical health.
Peter Gardner, MD
Board-Certified Physician
Approved Consultant, ASCH
President, Clinical Hypnosis Association
Beck Institute Certified CBT Clinician
What is Clinical Hypnosis?
Clinical hypnosis isn't mind control or stage entertainment. It's a focused state of attention you experience naturally—like when you're absorbed in a book or driving familiar roads without conscious thought. During hypnotherapy, we use this natural capacity intentionally to access and change the automatic patterns operating below conscious awareness.
You remain fully aware and in control throughout. Hypnotherapy works with your subconscious mind—where habits, emotional responses, and automatic reactions actually operate—rather than just your conscious, logical thinking. This is why it's effective for patterns that persist even when you intellectually know they don't serve you.
What Hypnosis Addresses
Emotional & Cognitive Patterns
Anxiety
Stress
Depression
Perfectionism
Self-Criticism
Hypnotherapy reshapes automatic thoughts and emotional responses operating below conscious awareness—the patterns that persist even when you intellectually know better.
Behavioral & Habitual Challenges
Smoking
Weight Management
Nail Biting
Skin Picking
Procrastination
You likely know what you should do. Hypnotherapy addresses the automatic programming driving unwanted behaviors where willpower alone hasn't worked.
Situational & Specific Fears
Flying
Heights
Needles
Medical Procedures
Public Speaking
Performance Anxiety
Your rational mind knows there's no real danger, but that knowledge doesn't stop the response. Hypnotherapy recalibrates how your nervous system interprets these situations.
Performance & Physical Concerns
Athletic Performance
Sleep
IBS
Chronic Pain
Hypnotherapy leverages the mind-body connection where psychological factors significantly affect physical symptoms and performance.
Why Choose a Physician-Hypnotherapist
Medical Safety
As a physician, I can understand underlying medical issues, when appropriate can speak with your other healthcare providers, and bring clinical judgement from decades of practice. My gastroenterology background gives specialized insight into the gut-brain connection—I've performed colonoscopies using only hypnosis.
Specialized Expertise
Three decades in gastroenterology provide deep insight into the gut-brain connection affecting IBS, anxiety, and pain.
Comprehensive Training
Board certifications in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Beck Institute CBT certification, and leadership roles in clinical hypnosis (ASCH Approved Consultant, President of Clinical Hypnosis Association).
Get Started
Email: pwgmd@drgardnerhypnosis.com
Phone: 203-940-2995
Location: 1200 High Ridge Road, Stamford, CT 06905